Legalizing Marijuana

This research is a secondary research analysis of the theoretical perspective of the marijuana movement - pertaining to the politic standpoint of marijuana verses cigarettes and scientific medical analysis of marijuana verses cigarettes. This research is meant to explore the multifaceted aspect of marijuana, cigarette trends, and the correlation between their recent waves of popularity. We will explore the historical facts of past tobacco trends to the present marijuana movement including widely held attitudes and beliefs about both substances. The thesis of this research will be to explore the differences between marijuana and cigarettes and social stigmas. Including the shift in popularity between tobacco and marijuana the MJ activist group known as NORML supporting the legalization of cannabis, while anti tobacco organizations have increased to ban cigarette smoke in public places. This research will conceptualize the meanings behind the negative stigmas associated with drugs legal and illegal influence.

The problem is a double standard between the political views of marijuana and cigarettes. The political perspectives seem to be focused on public stigmas about the substance(s) rather than deciding drug laws based on medical science. Marijuana and tobacco have a shared relationship in the type of substance use. Framing theory will be used to explore four correlations in the aspects of: (1) Marijuana short and long term effects, (2) medical pros and cons, (3) recreational use and political standpoints, and (4) the social stigma. The hypothesis of this research is that there is a negative stigma attached to Marijuana (MJ) and not cigarettes because it is…...

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...Legalizing Marijuana
The legalization of marijuana has been an issue for very long time, and the debate continues today. What is marijuana? Marijuana described as a mixture (this mixture can be green, brown, or gray) dried and shredded leaves from flowers of the cannabis sativa plant (NIDA, 2012). Marijuana has been around for a very long time, although there are some people who are against the use of marijuana, there are many that argue that the cannabis plant has some positive attributes. Marijuana has been studied and has been found to have some positive medical attributes it should probably be legalized, it is less harmful than cigarettes and alcohol; legalizing marijuana could free government funds and some unnecessary jail space that could be used for hard core criminals.
Tobacco and alcohol are more harmful than marijuana
Why is it that marijuana is illegal, yet alcohol and tobacco are available and regulated? There are many people that support the claim that marijuana is unhealthy and dangerous. There are many who think we need to keep drugs illegal to protect our society from the addictions and diseases that they cause, however this is impossible because we have alcohol and tobacco that is sold in every store. Therefore, these arguments are not consistent with the fact that the two most deadly drugs in U.S. are legal. Alcohol and tobacco have been labeled as more addictive and harmful than marijuana, yet readily available. According to researched done by the......

...Legalizing Marijuana in Colorado
Andrew Rouse
COMM/215
April 12, 2013
Lisa Turner
Legalizing Marijuana in Colorado
In early November 2000 Colorado voters legalized the use of medical marijuana by a vote of 53%. Amendment supporter Martin Chilcutt said (2000) “an ounce of marijuana could cost $100 to $400, depending on quality” (“Regulatory issues; attorneys attempting to legalize medical marijuana in Colorado,” para. 2). In November 2012 Colorado voters have again upped the ante by passing a bill to create a legal, regulated market for cannabis sales and personal use.
Medical Uses
The use of medical marijuana has long been an issue in the United States. I have met several people who have very legitimate health issues from anorexia, anxiety to cancer. Marijuana helps to ease nausea, calm nerves and boost the appetite of these patients dealing with chemotherapy and nerve and chemical imbalances. Some family members of these patients worry about the legal implications and the possible health problems from smoke inhalation but the patients state that the benefits outweigh the consequences.
Abuse of the system
Those who have no legitimate health issues but just want to buy and grow high quality marijuana legally are forced to abusing the medical marijuana system. I am not opposed to the recreational use of marijuana and I believe that people......

...Legalizing of Marijuana Research Paper Example
The history of Marijuana dates back to many, many years, and has served different cultures in various ways. Over the last few years however Marijuana has been adapted to fit our lifestyles, and social environment. Today many people around the world smoke Marijuana, for medicinal purposes, and the drug should be legalized permanently as ‘pot’ has many beneficial uses, including easing pain, helping Canada to stay away from debt, saving millions of acres in forestry and creating jobs for many people; raising Canada’s economic status.
Marijuana whose scientific name is Cannabis Sativa has been mentioned in manuscripts dating back to 2700 B.C. in China. The Jamestown settlers recorded the first nurturing of the plant in 1611, as they used the hemp from the plant’s fibers to make rope and canvas. Marijuana also known as ‘weed’ was used to make clothing, as the plant was very durable. In that time, ‘pot’ was used more for survival than for any other purposes.
Marijuana came into play with the scarcity of alcohol in the ‘olden’ days. The use of the drug rose from there, and became a large problem in the Unites States. The United States is one of those countries that can immensely benefit from the legalization of Marijuana use. In the States, Marijuana is the most widely used controlled substance, and since the drug is used so often, why not brew large amounts of money. Selling the drug and at the same time raising the economy......

...Legalizing Marijuana
Marijuana is one of the most common “soft drugs” used in the United States. It is usually smoked but it can be cooked and eaten. 32% of high school seniors and 11% of eighth graders have admitted to using marijuana.
Some of the “pros” for legalizing marijuana are:
It can be a good source of additional tax revenue since an enormous amount of money is raised through government taxation of cigarettes and alcohol, so marijuana would create another item that can be taxed.
Police and the courts would be freed up for more serious crimes such as terrorism, harder drugs, rape, murder, and so on. In addition, an already overloaded civil court docket would be improved; thus, the wait time for other cases would be reduced and the cost for public defenders, prosecutors, judges, juries, and court reporters would go down and there would be more room in prisons for more violent or harder crime defendants and there would be less of a chance of them getting out early due to overpopulation in the prisons.
Drug dealers would lose most, if not all, of their business because legalization would lower prices and open up for competition; thus, drug cartels (which could include terrorists) would lose all or some of their customers.
Legalizing marijuana would create proper means to settle disputes in purchasing marijuana. You can contact your lawyer or the police if a purchase goes wrong instead of dealers and buyers taking it into their own hands......

...Why Not
There is a huge argument in the United States on legalizing Marijuana. I will be discussing both sides of the argument against and for legalizing Marijuana. I think it is important to discuss both sides of legalizing marijuana, mostly because you need a variety of fact before you form your own opinion on legalizing Marijuana or to not legalize it.
There are many good reason to legalize Marijuana; taxation, jobs, drug wars, , and crime rates dropping. When it comes to taxes it would help out or debt problems. “There is already a huge tax revenue from Tabaco products and alcohol. To legalize marijuana would just create another addition to the funds for the government.”(citation2) This country could use the extra help from this drug to get us out of this massive debt problem.
If you had to think about the jobs this drug could produce if it were legalized. You would have farmers, processers, shipping, packaging, stores. When it comes to farming there are many helping hands around farms but opening up another field for marijuana there would require a lot more help opening up more jobs. For the processing side of things you need employees to go though and make sure the plants are good for selling. By this I mean cleaned clipped and bug free. Then they would have to give the marijuana to packaging. In packaging employees would have to make sure the right type of Marijuana is labeled correctly and has the right logo on it for that company. Now this part of the process...

...principles upon which our government was founded.” In today’s society, this statement still applies in reference to the illegal use of marijuana. Marijuana prohibition causes far more harm than marijuana itself. Keeping marijuana illegal, is expensive and causes crime. Out of four possible connections between drugs and crime, at least three would not exist if drug prohibition laws were repealed. First, crimes, which occur billions of times a year, are producing, selling, buying, and consuming strictly controlled and banned substances. If drug prohibition laws were repealed, these activities would obviously cease to be crimes. Next, many users commit crimes, such as robbery, dealing, prostitution, and running numbers to earn money to support their habits. If marijuana was less expensive and easier to obtain, which would be the case if it were legalized, the crimes committed under these circumstances would dramatically decline. The third drug-crime link is drug trafficking.
Without prohibition laws, those people trying to make a living by selling and distribution would not be thrown in jail. Support for legalizing marijuana is at its highest level in 30 years (USA Today/CNN/Gallup Poll). Since 1996, voters in eight states have passed initiatives supporting marijuana for medical purposes at least. Polls show more than 70% of voters support medical marijuana. Polls in Canada and England show half the population now supports legalization. The USA Today/CNN/Gallup Poll found......

...Legalizing Marijuana
Kendall Joseph
James York
Sociology 120
September 18, 2011
Introduction
In recent years there has definitely been an extremely unprecedented interest about whether or not marijuana along with its constituent compounds should be allowed to be used as medicine. There have been eight states since 1996 that have approved the medical use of marijuana. Although there are some people who simply dismiss the idea of medical marijuana as a subterfuge enabling liberalization, which they are afraid that there is a small chance that it will spread the plague of drug abuse. Having marijuana legalized could legitimate the drug as both safe and effective . Marijuana's industrial, medical, and recreational uses has definitely played an important role in regards to increasing its fame, there are even some presidential candidates that have even acknowledged the fact that they have even smoked marijuana before. Marijuana is an extremely safe drug simply because of its primary active ingredients THC along with other cannabinoids produce psychoactive effects and there is no fatal dose at all. However, there are other psychoactive drugs like alcohol, opiates, nicotine, and caffeine that can have fatal overdoses. This is why marijuana in its natural form is one of the safest, therapeutically active substance that is known to mankind. Although, there are some people who may feel morally violated in regards to legalizing marijuana and doing drugs may be a......

...Sam Crawford
Professor Garrison
English 110.01
25 March 2011
A Cry for Decriminalization
“Don’t touch marijuana, don’t even come close to it; it will lead you to use hard drugs like heroin and cocaine!” This is the fear-based statement I always heard through my youth and is often fed to other kids in an attempt to keep them safe and prevent them from making decisions that they will regret in the future, but how true is it? Marijuana is currently legal for medical use in sixteen states, most often to counter the side effects of cancer-treating drugs. Unfortunately, marijuana is highly criminalized in the United States and as a result its danger is increased. When you stop and think about it, it seems odd that substances like alcohol and harmful prescription drugs are not only legal but widely used. In fact, the legalization of marijuana could help Americans, and not just those who would use it. Therefore, I believe that this illogical fallacy that marijuana should be illegal on the basis of its potential harmful effects should be tossed aside.
The active ingredient in marijuana that gives it such distinctive properties is tetrahydrocannabinol which can be used to treat chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting as well as anorexia and cachexia, which strips the body of muscle mass and crucial fats that keep in functioning properly. Alcohol on the other hand destroys the liver and steals innocent lives in automobile accidents,”There were just short of 180,000...

...in this essay about is marijuana, and it may be surprising to some but it is all around us. Marijuana is even being referred to in today’s media. The way that they are doing this is through the mainstream media sources that people prefer; like music, movies, and TV shows. Now being a 20 year old adult and having my own personal experience with Marijuana and knowing its effects on others, and myself. I always ask why it’s not legal. Why is it that this drug has become illegal all over the world, but they allow cigarettes, alcohol, and prescription medication. The war to legalize marijuana in the United States of America has been and is now being fought nonstop since the existence of the drug itself. Marijuana has been tested and proven to have a very positive impact on the American society for multiple reasons. Some of these reasons are for America’s economy, the health of certain people, and even crime. These reasons could very well help America turn around its national debt and help thrive the country in the future.
This naturally grown plant known as marijuana is known all around the world. This plant is known to be a herbal medicine that gives users a “high” and is legal in a lot of countries in the world, but also illegal in a lot of countries around the world. Some places are very strict when it comes to enforcing the law that bans marijuana while others are very lenient. Today, the population of people that are deciding to side with pro marijuana legalization for......

...August 17,2014
PHI 105
Legalizing Marijuana
In the last few year’s marijuana has been a major topic in the media. There is a huge debate on whether or not marijuana should be legalized and how it would all play out if it were to be legalized. Some think marijuana should be legal while other seem to disagree, however, when you look at the benefits behind legalizing it, there is no reason for it not to be. Marijuana should be legalized as it provides benefits for the critically ill, taxation on the legalization product can increase revenue, and the legalization of marijuana can allow it to then be regulated and/or its legalization can reduce criminal activity associated with marijuana (such as smuggling, dealing, using, etc.)
For many years, marijuana has helped aid the pain of critically ill patients across America. Health and comfort should be what the government is concerned with. Marijuana can help people in their everyday life like simply relaxing. Marijuana is used for more than just recreational purposes such as treating pain, reducing nausea, and increasing one’s appetite. “Worldwide studies have shown it to be useful for treating pain, reducing nausea and increasing appetite, among a growing list of other things” (Vorenberg. S). When not abused, marijuana’s symptoms are mild and not often people are uncontrollable.
While legalizing marijuana cannot only benefit the critically ill, it can help out our government and increase its revenue. Marijuana is tough on......

...Legalizing Marijuana: The ethical issue and problem
Dorcas Rivera
SOC 120 Introduction to Ethics & Social Responsibility
Instructor: Robert Gala
September 23, 2013
Legalizing Marijuana: The ethical issue and problem
Marijuana is the most commonly abused drug. Therefore, legalizing marijuana, not only now, but for many years, has been the topic on rather or not it should be legalized. Even though marijuana has been legalized for medical use in 18 U.S. states, this has caused big controversy in our country and the ethical issue and problems it presents. In this article I will explain; what is marijuana, the risk of marijuana use, the effects of marijuana (in the brain and body), and the pros and cons of legalizing it. I will also explain how one of the classical theories, utilitarianism, would resolve the problem. On the other hand, I will contrast the response with the perspective brought to the issue by, ethical egoism. Lastly, will ended off choosing which of the two are closer to my view.
Marijuana is a green, brown, or gray mixture of dried, shredded leaves, stems, seeds, and flowers of the hemp plant. You may hear marijuana called by street names such as pot, herb, weed, grass, boom, Mary Jane, gangster, or chronic. All forms of marijuana are mind-altering. In other words, they change how the brain works. They all contain THC (delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol), the main active chemical in marijuana. They also contain more than 400 other chemicals. Marijuana's...

...Legalizing Marijuana in the United States
Jennifer Wilkins
English Composition I Engl 1301
July 21, 2009
Bertha Webster
Legalizing Marijuana in the United States
Introduction
Marijuana is a substance that has become very much a part of American culture. By definition, marijuana derives from the Indian hemp plant thought to have originated in the mountainous districts of India, north of the Himalayan Mountains (http://encarta.msn.com/dictionary_1861628419/marijuana.html). Nearly 95 million Americans have either used marijuana occasionally or regularly (Belville, 2009, p.60). Marijuana’s history is long and extensive. Marijuana comes from a Mexican word meaning “Mary Jane”. Marijuana has been grown for medical use for thousands of years. It is an established scientific fact that marijuana is not toxic to humans; marijuana overdoses are nearly impossible, and marijuana is not nearly as addictive as alcohol or tobacco (http://www.alternet.org/drugreporter/60959/?page=2). Today in the United States there is an ongoing debate whether marijuana should or should not be legalized. Legalizing marijuana can cut the cost to the government for the on-going “war on drugs”, be used medically in numerous proven ways, and eliminate the failure of prohibition.
Cost of the “War on Drugs”
In the United States, all levels of government (federal, state, and local authorities) participate in the “War on Drugs.” More than thirty years after the “War on Drugs” was......

...“I believe marijuana should be legalized.”
There are several different reasons why marijuana (pot) should be legalized. By legalizing marijuana it would reduce crime with criminal gangs. Marijuana is too expensive for our justice system and should instead be taxed to support beneficial government programs. Marijuana use has many positive attributes, such as its medical value and use as a recreational drug with relatively mild side effects (Alt 2007).
For many years there has been a "war on drugs" in this country. Legalization of marijuana would reduce the money flow in our American economy. It would also add to foreign cultivation and smuggling to the United States very profitable. It would send billions of dollars overseas in an underground economy while diverting funds from productive economic development (Alt 2007). Instead of penalizing people for possessions charges the states should legalize, regulate and tax marijuana sales.
According to Phillips, Wayne he believes that by legalizing marijuana it could create more jobs and strengthen the Canadian economy and help build their international image. It would help reduce federal spending and taxes. It would help safeguard youth and communities, stop the enabling crime organizations. Canada would gain respect as a nation that reflects intellect over ideology. Legalizing it would also go to offsetting pressing needs (Phillips, Wayne 2012).
On Seattle television King 5 News, two former US attorneys, John McKay and...

...Legalize Marijuana
Shannon Bunting
November 12, 2011
Elizabeth Hermans
ITT Technical Institution
The legalization of marijuana would benefit the United States for several reasons, which is why the government needs to seriously consider legalizing it. There are many advantages medically that help many patients who have terminal illnesses. The money from legalizing marijuana could also generate several billions in new revenue a year. Marijuana is also safer for people than alcohol, cigarettes and many of the prescription drugs that are available. Despite the many arguments as to why marijuana shouldn’t be legalized there are many benefits as to why it should be and the government needs to take a look into the issue.
Medical marijuana has been known to help patients with terminal illnesses be able to handle the pain and nausea. Studies have shown that it makes patients be able to eat and keep their food down which enables them to maintain their weight. The active chemical in marijuana is THC and is what allows the patients be able to manage the pain for many illnesses. Studies have also shown that when patients use medical marijuana it causes the sells to undergo a process called autophagy. What this does is it makes the cancerous cells feed on each other leaving the healthy cells alone. It has also been known to help keep Alzheimer’s patients from getting worse. The THC in marijuana has the ability......

...Legalizing marijuana involves both lower stakes and less uncertainty than legalizing any of the other major illicit drugs. Not that the consequences of marijuana legalization would be small or easy to project; legalization would be a big change with unpredictable results. Many have supported the marijuana legalization they actively encourage the non-medical use of drugs. Even worse, they will discover that most of the public who listen to views that are sympathetic to drug legalization and or decriminalization perceive these views to be pro-drug, no matter how often the speakers disavow this interpretation of their views. A principal argument for legalization of drugs generally is the anticipated reduction in crime, violence, corruption and other problems associated with black markets associated with cocaine/crack, heroin, and meth not marijuana, so legalizing marijuana would not do much to solve those problems. Support for the legalization of currently illegal drugs strengthens those forces in the society that want to see the use of illicit drugs go up, including those who benefits from the lucrative but deadly illicit marijuana traffic. Aside from impairment and harm, marijuana prohibitions believe in the gateway theory in which users of a substance are introduced to more harmful drugs through underground trade.
Marijuana consumption leads to situations in which users are presented harder drugs. As the theory goes, an individual slowly experiments with more drugs as he......